Already Home
by msrachelb
Summary: "If only New York wasn't so far away I promise the city won't get in our way When you're scared and alone, Just know that I'm already home" One day you might be heartbroken and then the next you are being swept off your feet by a celebrity in a record store. Life is crazy like that.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Whirlwind**

Heartbreak, self-pity, fury; those were three things that Rachel Berry had been feeling all at once for three straight weeks. It had been three weeks to the day since she had came home from a two-week study abroad trip, and three weeks since she found her boyfriend of five years cheating on her. Three weeks of pure hell was how she had been referring it. At twenty years old, she never thought heartbreak would come so quickly, she never thought it would come so easily.

She and Finn had began dating New Years Day their freshman year of high school. It had been an easy relationship from that moment on. They shared the same group of friends, held mostly the same interests and supported each other through the entirety of high school. The thing about being high school sweethearts though? Things never stay sweet after graduation.

Being from Ohio, Rachel was always too big for the small town of Lima. Her talents and ambitions were always meant for the bigger city and she had dreamed of New York City for as long as she could remember. So when the time came, she applied for NYU and set her sights on making every dream of hers to come true. The problem though, was that Finn didn't belong in New York. He didn't even like the city and that hurt them the second that she decided to move whether he was coming or not. In the end he moved with her, but only for a year. By the end of her freshman year of college he was miserable and moved back to Ohio. Their long distance relationship began. She trusted him though; she loved him so much and knew that they could make.

Fast forward to March, coming home from two weeks in Europe and finding him with another girl in their hometown in Ohio. Her world was shattered, nothing made sense and back to New York she went to finish off her sophomore year as a newly single girl. She just never imagined that it happening.

Three weeks later and Rachel's dealing with the breakup as best as she can, and for the most part she's okay with that. Going from heartbroken to bitter to a little bit of both is as good as it's going to get and to her, it can only get better from the moment she was standing in.

There was nothing that made her feel better than flipping through a bin of records. For as long as she could remember she had been adding on to her vinyl collection and the second she moved to the city, Rachel had found every record store on the island and frequented them quite often. She was standing in her favorite one looking over an album that she owned already trying to decide if it was worth buying a newer copy or not when she felt a presence coming near her.

"Fleet Foxes, that's an interesting band name." A man's voice said as he got closer to her. Looking over she immediately recognized who he was. Blaine Anderson, singer/actor extraordinaire.

"It's a good band, even better record." She said not being phased by his presence and popularity. Looking at him with a small smile she handed the record over for him to look over. "It's one of my favorite pieces I own."

* * *

Blaine Anderson had always been musically inclined and interested in acting. From a young age he was put in acting classes and auditioning for commercials while learning ever instrument possible. Being from San Diego, he had a word of opportunity surrounding him in one state and took advantage of it. At the age of twenty-six, he was pretty proud of the life he was living and ecstatic to have had the opportunities available to him.

Jump starting his music career after graduating from NYU with a double degree in music and acting, Blaine auditioned for the televised music contest American Idol. To his surprise, not only did he receive a golden ticket but also he won. At the young age of 22, he was thrown in to the world of Hollywood and his mind instantly jumbled. Everything was so fast paced and wild, from going into the recording studio for his first album to getting offers to do movies and television shows. Suddenly the laid back man who just wanted to have some fun and create, the entire world knew who he was. He couldn't always bring himself to be happy about that.

He was grateful though; beyond grateful for the opportunities he was given and was constantly careful with what he chose and how he lived his life. He was a private person and the constant scrutiny of LA only made him that much more closed off.

Over the course of four years, Blaine recorded one album and went on one tour. The rest of the time was spent filming a very small movie and landing his first television role. While television was never directly in his plan, he instantly fell in love with the small scream and the cast and crew.

Being in the third season of _Outcasts_ his life has been extremely busy and anymore it didn't feel like he had any time for himself or an outside life. Having spent the last few years in and on and off relationship, which had been permanently off for the last six months, he was enjoying his life just working and having as little bit of fun as he could manage.

Which is what brought him to New York in March. Getting a long weekend off from the tv show, he was able to leave California and head to the state of his Alma Mater and spend time with friends and meet with his agent to start planning a summer tour.

Having the morning free, he was enjoying the cool day in the city just exploring and visiting his favorite places from when he attended college. Passing a record store he hadn't been to in years he smiled as he turned around and walked in. Being a lover of music, there was nothing better than finding new music and appreciating old.

As he walked in he looked around and his breath was instantly taken away by a brunette woman absentmindedly flipping through a bin before picking up a record and looking at it intensely.

She was absolutely beautiful.

Normally Blaine would shy away from anyone in public, not wanting to be noticed for who he was and most definitely not wanting to draw attention to it. He couldn't stop himself from walking to her though. To meet her and talk to her for a while. She was absolutely mesmerizing from afar and as he got closer he swore he was falling in love at first sight.

"Fleet Foxes, that's an interesting band name." He said though he knew who they were, of course he did but he couldn't stop himself.

She looked at him and instantly took his breath away. She was absolutely gorgeous, a little young from what he could tell but he was completely taken by her the second she started talking.

"It's a good band, even better record… It's one of my favorite pieces I own." He chuckled to himself as he took it from her and hummed in approval. She didn't seem to care who he was, maybe she didn't know. Either way he moved a step closer to her and leaned against the table slightly.

"I'll have to listen to it sometime." He said as he gave it back to her and then held out the same hand. "I'm Blaine. Blaine Anderson to be precise." He smiled again, something he wasn't sure he was even controlling and he quickly forced himself to calm down and cleared his throat.

She took his hand though and a shock went through him from the gentle touch. "I know who you are." She said with a smile and small shrug. "Rachel Berry, it's nice to meet you."

She instantly intrigued him as she dropped his hand and continued to search through the bin, obviously on a mission for a certain album.

"Are you from around here?" He asked not wanting to leave but hoping he wasn't making her uncomfortable.

"Not originally. I'm from Ohio. I attend NYU. I'm a musical theatre major. " She answered her face lighting up instantly as she said the words. Passionate, that was the word that came to Blaine's mind. He liked that.

* * *

Rachel had no idea what was going on. Never in her life did she think that a celebrity would walk up to her, nor did she think that he would stick around for some conversation. She had instantly recognized him, but wasn't star struck by him. Had he been Barbra Streisand or any of the number inspiring artists who she adored, it would have been different. He wasn't though and though it was impressive who he was, he was just another guy walking into a record store. Something told her he probably appreciated that.

He was curious about who she was and she could feel herself blush slightly at his questions. It was mostly because she wasn't sure when the last time was a boy paid attention to her but she certainly was enjoying it.

"NYU, I attended NYU." He said excitedly and she laughed and turned towards him intrigued by what he had to say.

"Didn't you just love it there? It's absolutely incredible. I always dreamed of attending and when I got in, it felt amazing. Not that I was expecting not to, I was brilliant in my audition and honestly I knew I had to talent to join an incredible school." She continued to talk not directly looking at him; partly afraid he had already stopped listening. That was something she came to expect thanks to Finn. When she did though, he was looking at her intently and she smiled and decided to continue. "I want to go to Broadway, I intend on going. I would be there now, but I'm focusing on school and performing in shows through the school."

"That's impressive, I'd love to hear you sing sometime." Blaine said as he smiled warmly at her making her blush and she ducked her head as he continued to talk. "It's always nice to meet someone who loves to perform. Of course I'm surrounded by it constantly, but someone like you. Someone who is fresh faced and eager to learn and enjoy the life they are living. Though I have to ask, how old are you?"

Rachel looked at him almost in awe at his words; he had a way with them that was for sure. "It's nice to meet someone who is interested in what I'm saying." She said honestly. "I'm 20, I just turned so in December." She immediately felt young as she said it knowing that he was older than her.

"20, that's a good age." He said with a small laugh. "I wasn't this headstrong at 20, I admire that. Okay, maybe I was but I didn't carry it as gracefully and attractively as you do." Attractively? Did he really just say that? She blushed again.

* * *

He was drawn to her. The more they talked to more he wanted to spend more and more time with her and just learn about her. They talked about NYU, Broadway, music in general and before he knew it they had been standing there talking for a hour. It wasn't until his phone buzzed that he even noticed and he laughed and shook her head.

"Aw, man. I can't remember the last time I was lost in conversation like this." He said honestly. "That was my queue that I need to go though." He said really not wanting to leave.

"A hour?" She asked as she looked at the time herself. "I'm going to be late to class if we stand here any longer." He may have been imagining it, but she looked a little disappointed that they had to part.

Smiling at her he rocked on his heals. "I'd love to see you again, if that's okay with you. I'm only here for the weekend but if you're free tonight…" He murmured, instantly frowning when she shook her head.

"I would love to, but I am working tonight." She said with sadness in her voice and he instantly thought of an idea.

"I'm free in the morning. I know that breakfast dates aren't conventional but…" He asked hoping that she would say yes. That the word date didn't scare her.

"I'd love to." Rachel smiled and he fist pumped internally and handed her his phone.

"May I have your number? We can work out the details." He suggested, suddenly feeling butterflies as he took the phone and typed in her number.

* * *

Within the last hour Rachel felt like her life had changed. What had started out as a gloomy day of hating her life and just wanting to feel better turned into exactly just that. She had smiled and laughed so much in the past hour since meeting Blaine that she didn't want to say goodbye to him. When he asked her out, of course she said yes and she giggled as she typed in her name and number before handing the phone back to him.

"Here." She said as she handed him the Fleet Foxes album. "Learn what good music is." Rachel teased. "I have the album already."

Rachel bit her lip and adjusted her bag not wanting to go, even if she really needed to.

"I'll talk to you soon." She said as he leaned in for a hug and she happily accepted. He smelled amazing and felt even more so. It was almost comforting to hug him, like it was completely normal to do so. Pulling away after a moment she said a final goodbye before heading out of the store.

When her phone rang not even a minute later she laughed at the unknown number.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Just making sure you didn't give me a fake number." Blaine's voice said through the phone making her laugh before talking to him all the way to campus until she absolutely had to hang up for class.

* * *

 **That's it for Chapter 1! I apologize if the beginning was slow I promise the next chapters will be a little faster with dialogue. Reviews/comments/favorites anything is always appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: French Toast**

Blaine couldn't remember the last time he had been so drawn to someone. From the moment he left that record shop he had felt a constant need to be in contact with Rachel. So once they hung up the phone he sent her a text, cautious that he wasn't pushing boundaries but overall just wanting to get to know this girl who had suddenly lit up his life.

To his surprise, she responded almost instantly.

Rachel Berry, a twenty-year-old girl from Lima, Ohio, who was absolutely in love with all things Broadway. The more he learned about her, the more he wanted to know more. She was engaging, never bored with the conversation they were having, and Blaine was positive he had found the girl he was going to marry.

He told his friends that too. They laughed. It was the truth though. He was completely enthralled by this girl and needed to know more about her, he needed to spend more time with her.

Twenty-four hours after their meeting, he was getting that chance. While a date in the morning was not something he had ever done before and really it felt less that classy, it was what they had time for and that was going to be good enough for him.

However, things already felt tricky, she was six years his junior and had no idea about the stressful world he lived in. He wanted to protect her and knew to walk away, he just wasn't sure he could.

So they were having breakfast together, he figured it was as simple as they came and maybe the casualty of it would make them both feel more at ease. He was still nervous though, and as he sat at the small table he tapped his fingers against the surface humming quietly to the music playing. This was already going to be an interesting date. When he saw her come in, he stood up and waved her over a bright smile coming to his face. She was just as gorgeous as she was the day before and he knew he was in trouble.

"Rachel, hello." He said softly as he gave her a hug. "You look beautiful." He complimented before helping her with her chair.

"Thank you." She said her cheeks already turning red. "You look handsome." Her eyes met his and he felt his own cheeks blush as he shook her head. Oh boy, she wasn't going to make it easy on him.

"I didn't think to ask when we talked, what you liked for breakfast. I hope there is something you like on the menu, but my favorite is fren-." He began only to be cut off.

"French Toast." She said quickly as her eyes scanned the menu and he laughed. "My favorite is french toast too."

Blaine put down his menu with a nod as the waitress came by. They would both be having french toast.

* * *

She felt like she was in a whirlwind, one minute she was sulking over her breakup and the next she was going on a date with a celebrity who quickly swept her off her feet.

There was a chance she was dreaming and she really didn't want to wake up.

The last twenty-four hours had been so amazing and she had realized a number of things, the first being that it was possible to meet someone and for them to change your life and mind in just a hour of conversation. He was uplifting and within the last day they had never ran out of things to talk about. Something told her that they wouldn't be for quite sometime.

"Are you enjoying your weekend in the city?" She asked as they dined. Mostly she was watching him; taking him in just in case this was the only time they would ever be seeing each other.

He nodded and patted his mouth with his napkin before clearing his throat after a sip of coffee. "It was great and then it got better. Really wish I didn't have to leave in the morning." He looked at her with a wink causing her to laugh.

"You really know how to flatter someone, Mr. Anderson." She beamed.

"I'm hoping to get to do this more often. " He seemed nervous and a tad embarrassed as he spoke and she blushed not really sure when the last time was that anyone said such words. "If you want that is." He quickly corrected himself. "I know things are fast and maybe a little weird. I don't want to freak you out."

She was a little freaked out.

"I'm just coming out of a relationship." She admitted, having briefly brought up the topic in their text conversation last night. "I'm not sure how fast or slow things should go."

If she were even a year younger she probably would have jumped into another relationship without another thought of her last.

She never felt more grown up than that moment.

He nodded clearly understanding but still reached over and took her hand, she happily accepted his touch.

"I'd love to get to know you more." His voice was quiet, soft and sincere. His eyes absolutely perfect as she looked into them. "Will you let me get to know you more? I have to go back to LA tomorrow and my life… It's messy. I don't want to throw you into it. Even if you were ready. No strings, no rushing, just two people talking and seeing where things go."

* * *

Want an idiot. What sort of man meets a girl one day and practically asks her to marry him the next? An idiot that's what.

Blaine's heart was racing as he spoke, his calm demeanor clearly a lie from his end but she seemed calm, almost okay. He squeezes her hand lightly before pulling back feeling foolish, adolescent.

"Okay." She finally said with only a simple nod before going back to her French toast.

"Okay." He returned with a slight smirk forming his lips as he stuffed a large piece of cinnamon covered bread in his mouth.

Looking out to the far window at the bright March day he couldn't imagine better weather. The kind he would remember forever he was sure if it.

"Are you afraid of the media following you?" She asked him after a moment. Startling him from his thoughts.

"Yeah. Usually. I haven't made any posts about being in New York though and usually they don't bother you if they don't know." He shrugged having no idea if anyone had found him out. "I don't really look online so I don't know what's going on. I'm usually the last to know what's going on in my life." He chuckled. "Jason, my manager. He handles all of that."

And just like that they entered into easy conversation talking about anything and everything. He learned about how she came to admire Barbra Streisand and how her dads were the two most important people in her life. Blaine listened as she went on for ten minutes discussing everything she loves and doesn't love about Wicked and how she'd consider actually killing for the role of Elphaba one day. Her dreams and fears, they all came out so easily to him and he knew he was gaining a huge part of her.

Her trust.

* * *

Blaine was a dedicated person. That was the initial thing she learned about him. When it came to his work, his music, and his family, he was completely dedicated to all three. Most importantly he was dedicated to himself and that meant a lot to Rachel. She learned about his adventures in college and about every single one of his friends. She learned about his family, every detail that he felt was important and how important they were together. Rachel had laughed when she learned about his once distant relationship with his eccentric brother, Cooper and how they had got closer once he was a young adult. In return she shared the loneness that came from being an only child and how she had always longed for a love hate relationship with a sibling.

He assured her that Cooper would claim her as his own and she laughed hard, she wasn't sure if she wanted to be that close or not.

"My dads, they talked once about adding to the family but then they realized that I am high maintenance enough that another child would just be a little too much." She said lightheartedly. Having grown up not minding being an only child and while she knew that while she missed out on important childhood stories, she was beyond lucky to have the fathers that she did.

When she learned that his relationship with his father had always been off, she felt sad and even more thankful to have two dads who adored her. His close relationship with his mom of course made her envious.

They were already quite the pair.

"I haven't made many friends in New York since I moved here." She admitted as she learned of his close friendships. "I still have my friends from high school, a couple are here but most stayed in Ohio. Honestly it was for the best. I'm able to be my own person here and have really grown without them." She shrugged because it sounded depressing but it was a really good triumph for her.

"Can I meet them sometime?" He asked and she nodded.

"Sometime." There would be a lot of discussing to be had before that mark. That was for sure.

Before she knew it they were done with breakfast and making their way outside. He still had a little while before he was needed anywhere and she had the day free, so he walked with her to her apartment.

They walked side by side almost to where they were touching but with enough space that it was still casual.

"I miss New York." He admitted. "LA is amazing and has done so much for me, but I miss it here. I miss theatre and the people. Every time I am back I am reminded why I spent four years here in college."

"Do you ever think you will move back?" She asked.

"Definitely." He answered simply and she just nodded as they walked the next couple blocks in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

It felt weird, being out in public with a celebrity, sort of like she didn't belong. Maybe it was that she didn't, but she couldn't help but notice how he didn't seem to be bothered as they walked down the street. There was a lot that was running through her mind but one look from him, a small smile that came as he looked over at her and it made all the difference.

* * *

He internally frowned as Rachel motioned that her apartment building was coming up. He didn't want their morning together to be over. So he made sure that it continued for as long as he could manage.

"I can't believe you live by yourself, I had four roommates in college." He murmured as they stopped in front of the building.

"Trust me, it's a small place. Still expensive but, it's big enough for me." Rachel said as she looked up at the building like she was having an internal battle. "Would you like to see?" She finally asked after a moment and he quickly nodded noticing how nervous she seemed.

"I definitely do." He answered before eagerly following her up five flights of steps until she was unlocking her door.

He was instantly surprised by the place. It was smaller than she described, or maybe she just didn't notice the size anymore. The minuscule kitchen and living room with a loft above the entrance way and bathroom, it could all fit in his master twice and a half times.

"Wow." He breathed as he looked around. For as small as it was, he could tell that she loved it and how perfect it was for her. She has it decorated precisely to how he has imagined her taste and he smiled as he sat on the couch perched under the window. "This place is kind is amazing."

"Don't say that. It's tiny. It's a hobbit house, that's what Finn described it as. He hated it but it was what we could afford even though I've always loved it. When I imagined moving to New York, this is what I saw. A shoebox barely big enough to survive and working my ass off to have something great." Her passion was showing again and his floppy grin shown across his lips.

"I'm a hobbit." He stated with a laugh. "and it's perfect, it's you." He had always considered buying a place in New York, but was never in town long enough to do it. His small celebrity stent on Broadway a year or so back had only lasted a few weeks and then he just stayed at a hotel. Seeing her so happy living in the city. He wanted to experience that again.

It was when he found her record collection, displayed neatly in one of the open closets in the hallway that he got up from the couch and ventured over. His fingertips lightly grazed each cover as he looked at the titles. It was impressive, personal, and gave him another piece of the Rachel Berry puzzle he was putting together in his head.

"I have more, the ones that I don't listen to often or just don't want on display. They're in Ohio, I just didn't have room. I had to downsize a lot." She mentioned almost making him jump as she took him from his thoughts while handing him a glass of water.

He took the water and then a record from the shelf, the one he had bought yesterday that she had been looking at. "Play this for us?" He requested.

She took the record and switched it out for what was already in her player, Taylor Swift, he noted with a silent chuckle. Another piece of the puzzle found.

They sat down in the couch as the music filled the small space and he couldn't help but graze her hand with his. It was small, even smaller than he thought it would be compare to his own small frame and features. She was almost delicate, with smooth skin, silky hair and glistening eyes. He couldn't understand how anyone could cheat on her like her ex had.

"Tell me more about San Diego." She asked as she turned her body towards him more and propped her head on her hand as it rested on the back of the couch.

"San Diego is sort of how you imagine it to be. It's a lot of city, a lot of beach life nothing really special to explain. There are places though; ones that you wouldn't expect to exist that will blow you away. Like the small dog park that is literally full of dogs on a Sunday afternoon. Just running and playing like kids on a playground and the private beaches that only locals know the entrances to." He shrugged. "Much like any place, it's just a place but it has its quirks that make it special. Which I guess is why my parents stayed there after Coop and I left, it's home."

She smiled warmly at him like she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Ohio is the same way, just a place but somehow every time I visit it still feels like home. I don't belong there, that's for sure but it's nice to know there is a place out there that will always feel that way, especially when the city gets to much."

* * *

She wished she knew how to stop talking sometimes. As they talked she could feel herself going on longer than intended and stopped herself afraid she was making a fool of herself. Every time though, she would look at him and he didn't seem bored at all. Finn had really messed with her head the last few years with his actions; she was beginning to realize that more and more.

It pained her when he sighed and looked at his watch.

"I should go, I can't be late for my meeting." He said softly, his hand still softly against hers and she took it and squeezed it before standing up with him.

"I had an amazing time today, Blaine." Rachel said honestly as she walked him the short distance to the door.

"Me too." He said softly as he leaned against the doorframe his eyes going from her eyes to her lips silently asking permission.

She nodded slightly as he leaned forward and captured her lips in a sweet kiss. Her hand cupped his cheek as she smiled against his lips. A first kiss- as amazing as anyone would imagine it to be.

A first kiss that tasted just like French toast.

 **Writers note: As always reviews appreciated and I hope you liked this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Standing Still

"You say that it's hard to commit to it. You say that it's hard standing still."

If there was anything that Rachel was good at besides singing, it was keeping a secret. She had managed to go four years of high school of being bullied and slushies' thrown in her face without her dads knowing. Now though, now she was keeping a secret involving happiness and the reason she no longer felt like she wouldn't ever come back from her breakup. She was hiding Blaine and she hated it.

It had been just over one month since they started talking and every second that she got to hear his voice and the seldom chance that the video chatted, it was everything. They had kept their promise to get to know each other with no pressure and nothing serious, but she hadn't been seeing anyone and he had told her numerous times that he hadn't been either. So they were just talking and enjoying each other from afar, and that was the one problem she was having. He was so far away in Los Angeles.

He had warned her in the very beginning that his life was messy. That he was constantly on the run and didn't have a lot of spare time. That was all proving to be true. While they were still talking several times a week, there would be a day or two when she wouldn't hear from him and it was hard. She missed him. The more than they got to know each other the more that she knew that she really wanted to see where things went. He was such an amazing person, a little complicated to read at times but then again that she liked that. She liked that when they were facetiming he would go silent for a long period of time just listening to her or they'd both sit in silence just taking the other in from the screen. It felt simple, complicated, and so terrifying.

As different as they were, they were just that much alike too. In ways they were the exact same person. They had the same interests, the same determination, and so help them, the same dramatization. The best thing was, they still hadn't ran out of topics to talk about.

* * *

He missed her. Damn he missed her. Every morning he woke up thinking of her and each night it was she on his mind as he fell asleep. Blaine hated that filming the end of the season was taking up every second of his time and adding on his tour prep, he barely slept let alone had time to talk on the phone. They were doing their best though and he commended Rachel for understanding and not getting upset if he couldn't talk. He knew it was hard though; it was hard on him too.

He had news for her though, something that he hoped she would be happy about and even better, that would bring them to the same state again.

He just had to get ahold of her first.

Blaine knew that she was studying for her last final before she was done for the semester but he was too excited to text first to see if she was free. He bounced on his toes as he waited for her to answer her video call. One ring, two rings, come on Rachel look at your phone.

"Finally!" He said loudly, drawing attention to himself but he didn't care as a sloppy grin spread across his face while she laughed at his greeting.

"Hello to you too." She said with a giggle.

"Sorry." He said before clearing his throat. "Hello gorgeous, how are you today?"

"I'm okay, I've been in the dance studio all day preparing for tomorrow." She said with a small yawn and he frowned hoping she wasn't working herself too hard, then again he knew that was exactly what she was doing. That was who she was. "How are you? You seemed excited when I answered."

He laughed again and nodded as he sat down. "What are you doing on May 22nd, twenty days from today?" Blaine asked and smiled wider as she shrugged.

* * *

"Nothing that I know of, I don't have much of a plan after finals are over. Probably working, why?" She asked in return knowing that it was the day that his tour started and suddenly her interest was peaked.

"You're coming to LA." He said and she quirked an eyebrow at him.

"I am?" She asked.

"Yes!" He said causing her to laugh once more. "You are coming two days before actually on the 20th so that I can see you and then I'd like you to stay until the 25th if that's possible. That's when I head on the road after my two LA shows. You can meet some friends of mine and hang out back stage. I can show you my tour bus." His excitement sent chills through her and she immediately nodded.

"I'm there, I'll make sure I can be."

Thank God. Blaine thought to himself, having been a little afraid that she would have turned him down.

LA, Los Angeles, California, the one place Rachel had never directly imagined going. She had always dreamed of New York, her life was New York and never once had she imagined going to LA for any reason. Now that she had one she couldn't imagine going anywhere else.

The look on his face as he explained his plans for their short days together made her heart pound.

"I've already made reservations for a date and I mean a real date like at night, in a fancy restaurant." He explained to her excitedly the butterflies in her stomach increasing the more and more he talked. This was their chance. This was their chance to find out if they were really meant to be together, if their one day of chemistry hadn't gone anywhere within the next month. She hoped to God that it hadn't.

"I can't wait to see you, touch you." Rachel said softly as yawned and leaned back against the mirror she had been sitting in front of in the studio. She was long needing to get back to work but couldn't bring herself to hang up with him, not yet. He looked so perfect in his trailer at work, his hair going everywhere as opposed to the clean and secure look he kept on a daily basis. She wished she could reach through the screen and run her fingers through it.

Blaine's laugh brought her out of her thoughts and she blushed as she looked away before turning back to her phone. "I lost you for a minute, had an entire conversation with a brick wall." He teased and her heart swelled even more as he smiled.

"You're just exceedingly handsome, Mr. Anderson. I couldn't help but get distracted." She teased back before sighing. "So, 20 days?" She asked.

"Nope! 18." He said with the widest grin.

"18 days, possibly the longest timeframe I have ever went through and that's including the time I had to wait a month for a Barbra Streisand concert. I counted down the days from the second I had the tickets, exactly 153 days. I was positive that someone was adding days to the calendar by how slow the time was going. It turned out that I am just insanely impatient and that hasn't changed." She wondered if there was any update on time machines but quickly shook the thoughts away. She was going to need to keep herself busy for the next three weeks, that's all. Rachel only hoped that she could do so. Waitressing wasn't exactly the most time and mind consuming activity. Her mind wondered too much.

"As of next week I'll be done with this season and I'll be free to keep your mind occupied as much as I can." Blaine promised her and she knew that he was just as anxious as she was. "Tour prep is more annoying than time consuming, it's the promotion that takes the most time." He continued and she nodded understanding. "Time will fly by I promise." With a smile she blew him a kiss, reluctantly ending the conversation to get back to her final prep. This was going work, they were going to see each other and it was going to be perfect.

He hung up and fell back on the small couch with a laugh, the most perfect few days were so close he could already feel her in his arms again. Their short time together during their first meeting had made an everlasting impression on Blaine, there was no one like Rachel Berry and he wasn't about to give up on her until he knew for a fact that a relationship wasn't possible. He was sure that it was.

"Don't you know that I spend all my nights. Counting backwards the days 'til I'm home?"

Writers note: All song lyrics, unless said otherwise, are from the song Already Home by Great Big World. As always reviews appreciated and I hope you liked this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: A New World

"If only New York wasn't so far away. I promise the city won't get in our way."

Time didn't fly by.

In fact it went ten times slower than it should have and Blaine thought he was going to actually go crazy. Between working with his band on the set list, promotion, and the nagging of his manager to make sure everything was perfect Blaine felt like there wasn't any time of the day. In reality, there wasn't, he was spending every second of the day working and not once in the just over two weeks since he had talked to Rachel had he really spoken to her again. They'd send a few texts throughout the day when he had a spare minute and for a short time when he had settled in bed and she woke up to his goodnight text. Which just made him feel like shit for waking her up at all hours of the night. None of it felt enough and he was beginning to question if it was all worth it, if he was really going to drag her along in the unpredictable world he lived in.

His manager was on him about her, not comfortable with her coming to his shows and worse staying at his house. It was apparently public relations nightmare waiting to happen. "It's not too late." Jason said the morning before Rachel was due to arrive in LA. Blaine rolled his eyes and resisted throwing his coffee at the man. They had gone through the conversation a hundred times since he had met Rachel and every time it ended with Jason telling him how stupid he was being and he was considering firing him for being a negative pain in the ass.

He had a point though and Blaine hated him even more for that. Not the entire idea that he and Rachel wouldn't work or that he had made up their chemistry just because he found her attractive, that was all bullshit. However, Jason has been drilling in his head how dating a young girl and bringing her into the spotlight was not going to be a good thing for him and more importantly her. His fans would tear her to pieces; she'd lose all of her privacy and rights in regards to how she lived life. Her world would be turned upside down and not at all in a good way. She was destined for Broadway and working on her dreams, he could very well mess that all up.

Blaine really didn't want to put her through that, she'd end up resenting him and that's make him feel worse than not getting to be with her at all.

He refused to give up on the idea though, he refused to just cut ties with her without getting to spend a few days with her and truly enjoy some time together. They just had to be smart about it and that was a conversation he wasn't looking forward to having.

Sighing he moved from the table, smacking Jason in the process as he went to the living room and threw himself on the couch with a sigh and pulled out his phone.

 _Can't wait to see you tomorrow. Xo B._

 _Counting down the hours! Having a packing crisis but I'll have it handled by the AM._

 _LA isn't much different than NYC, just warmer and with brighter colors, Rach. Pack what makes you comfortable._

 _I'd like to point out all of the obvious statements you just made, however that is not my crisis. I don't know what to pack for our date._

Oh. Their date.

Blaine hadn't even thought about their date regarding his conversations with Jason. The reservations were made weeks ago and he wasn't about to cancel them and hurt Rachel.

 _Bring that red dress you sent a picture of, you look beautiful in it. Though you look beautiful in anything. Don't think too hard about this, ok? I don't want you to be uncomfortable. These next few days are going to be amazing, Rach. I'm so looking forward to spending time with you, wish I could make up for all the lost time._

 _Blaine, it's okay. You know that I understand your schedule and that you're busy. I to, have been busy, it's a hard life being a young startlit trying to reach Broadway. We just have to find a balance. It'll be fine. As long as I have you, we'll be fine._

Her words brought a smile to his face and he sent a glare at Jason, the man knew exactly what to say to get under his skin and he really was going to have to work on that if he were going to do this with Rachel. Looking at the clock, 24 hours, exactly 24 hours and he'd be seeing her again. He prayed that he didn't mess things up.

* * *

There was a point where she had thought he was ignoring her. That he had decided that talking to a young girl in New York was not worth his time. The either unanswered texts or extremely short responses she was receiving sent her mind into overdrive and she had been waiting for the text cancelling their short week together. Actually she was expecting it.

It didn't come though and Rachel wasn't sure if she was relieved or worried. Blaine didn't seem like the type of man to drop someone over a text, but would he really fly her across the country to do so? They didn't really know each other very well to truly understand the complexity of each other and she almost hated it. Never once did she express her concern though, instead she pushed her understanding and while it was mostly a lie at times she was trying. She wasn't used to this, she had no idea how to talk to someone like him. She had no idea how to be in any sort of long distance relationship and it was honestly terrifying not knowing if she could do it or not if they decided to take things further.

She had spent the last couple weeks since ending her sophomore year at NYADA waitressing and going on every audition available to her. While nothing had had transpired yet, she was hopeful that her big break was coming and she'd get to spend her last two years of college learning about her art and performing it at the same time. If anything spending all of her time with working or rehearsing had helped make the time go quicker for her trip to LA. She had made sure she had the week off work the second she had hung up the phone with him that day and ever since she had been checking the time right down to the seconds to when she'd get to see him again. There was so much up in the air and she couldn't wait just to give him a hug and feel whole again.

After her break up she has promised herself that she wasn't going to date again, there was going to be no more guys and she was going to focus solely on her. It was funny how life worked when Blaine Anderson literally showed up and changed everything she was thinking and feeling. The pain and hurt she had been feeling had practically disappeared over the last month of talking to Blaine, she had began to see that maybe her and Finn's relationship had been destined to end for a while and she just hadn't wanted to own up to it. The closer that she got to Blaine the more she realized that there was a right time for everything and she was exactly where she needed to be in her life in our areas. She believed it so much that she had told her fathers about Blaine, who he was, how they met, and how they were taking things slow. They had been surprised by her sudden new love interest but ultimately they just wanted her happy.

And she was just that.

She hardly slept all night, waking up every hour, on the hour, to look at the clock only to be disappointed by all the time that hadn't passed. By the time her alarm went off, Rachel had been up for over an hour and had double-checked her bags and her flight time a dozen times. She was ready for the flight out to LA.

 _On my way!_

 _Can't wait!_

The flight had been easy and comfortable getting her to LAX safely and on time. Blaine hadn't been able to pick her up personally but had sent her a car, which she found with little problem. She felt nervous, the butterflies in her stomach from how much she liked Blaine turning a little darker at the anticipation of seeing him again. She had it planned out in her head but was scared of how different reality would be once she turned up at his house. Her usual confidence dwindled as she watched out the window as California passed by her. It was already so much more different than New York and worlds different than Lima, Ohio. She felt almost star stuck being in the same place as everyone she idolized. What if she actually ran into Barbra? She'd die.

The car pulled up to his house and the driver opened the door for her and everything. She felt like royalty and blushed at the attention as she took in Blaine's house. It wasn't as massive as she expected it to be; then again she wasn't sure if she would consider Blaine a mansion type of man. It was beautiful though, breathtaking as she stood at the end of the walkway just staring up at it. She saw movement coming from behind a curtain and grinned as she started walking towards the door as it opened.

He was just as perfect in person as she had remembered.

* * *

Blaine felt an overwhelming sense of emotion as they met on his front porch just starting at each other before he gently pulled her into a hug. Breathing her in, he kissed her head softly. "Hi." He whispered to her as she wrapped her arms around him and clung for dear life. This was the moment he had been waiting for. This was everything he had wanted since the second he left her apartment that day.

After a long minute he pulled back and took her bag from the driver and led her into his home. He had spent the morning perfecting it for her, cleaning everything that had probably never been cleaned before and making sure that the fridge and cabinets were stalked with vegan friendly foods for her. He had been waiting for his moment for so long and seeing her again. Seeing her again just confirmed what he had been saying all along. He was absolutely in love with her and had been since first sight. They'd figure out how to deal with everything, he knew it.

He felt awkward though, this was still new, it was fragile and he was trying to figure out the right steps for them to take. Formalities seemed too much but being at ease didn't seem right either. Instead he just sighed and took her in as she blushed and then looked around his open living room. A grand piano sat to the right of them, his big screen and movie collection to the far left. Everything designed for ultimate use and comfort. Not that he was home all that often, but when he was there it all felt perfect to him.

"Let me give you a tour." He said softly as he took her hand into his and kissed it softly before squeezing it and resting them between them as they walked from the living room into the kitchen. He pointed out where everything was right down to the silverware. "I want you to feel at home here." He explained as they left the downstairs powder room and made their way up.

The first stop was the master bedroom. The large bedroom with a balcony that looked over the courtyard had taken him two months to decide how to decorate it. In the end the white and grey tones brought a since of comfort to him and the spots of bright colors accented around helped brighten his mind.

She walked around taking in his belongings and he chuckled as she picked up a picture of him and his brother, Cooper jumping in the air at a music festival a year ago. "He fell in a mud puddle right after that, couldn't get him to stop long enough for that picture." He spoke as he stood behind her and gently rested a hand on her side.

When she turned around he felt his cheeks warm hoping he wasn't getting too close but was surprised when she laid a hand on his chest and pressed her lips to his in a gentle kiss.

"I love my tour, but I really needed that." She whispered and he beamed at her before capturing her lips in a deeper kiss. She wasn't the only one who needed it. Kissing her felt like coming home again and he sighed as he rested his forehead against hers, there was no way he could let her go.

He pulled away and awkwardly scratched his head. "There is a guest room down the hall, I.. I wasn't sure what you were comfortable with." He sure didn't want to be away from her for more than necessary but understood if she chose the other room.

"I think I'll be fine in here." She said with a smile and he grinned back with a nod as he put her bag on the bed and then sat down as she moseyed around his room. With a small yawn he took the time to check his messages thankful that he had cleared his schedule to spend the day with her. The next day he would have to go to rehearsal and sound check for the following day but he had told Jason that there was to be no disrupting him. He refused to have to deal with work for once, she was more important.

"What time are our reservations?" She asked pulling him out of his thoughts as she sat down next to him.

"Seven, we'll head out around six." He murmured as she gently put his arm around her lower back. "That's something we need to talk about too, but not at this very second. I'm too stoked that you're here with me to think about anything else."

* * *

His words instantly peaked her interest and she turned slightly towards him and cocked her head as she looked at him. "What do you want to talk about?" She asked a little confused as she moved her hand to brush a stray hair from his forehead back in place. She was insanely curious but also just enjoyed being close to him and being able to look into his eyes without a screen a several hundred miles being in between them.

He sighed and closed her eyes and fear quickly filled her as he shrugged slightly and pulled her closer before kissing her softly. Opening his eyes again he looked directly into hers with a small smile that helped diminish the fear but not the discomfort from his words.

Blaine sat up straighter and removed his arm from around her causing her to instantly feel cold and empty but simply put her hands in her lap as she waited for what he had to say. She wished she hadn't been curious but the word talk never felt good to her.

"I hadn't thought, in my excitement about you coming to visit, about the two of us going out." He began before pausing like he was trying to form the correct words. He did it often she had found. He took the time to say the right thing as opposed to spewing out what came to his mind first. That was something she on the other hand had a problem with. "This world is tricky. When you go out there is instantly people staring at you. It doesn't matter if you're going to work, going to the gym, or buying toilet paper; there are always eyes on you. I don't know how many times I'll just be walking down the street and then suddenly there is an article about it and a hundred photos. It's absolutely insane and something I hate more than anything about this business." He stopped to take a long breath and then smiled at her and she smiled back urging him to continue as she took one of his hands into hers just wanting his touch.

"Jason, he's worried about what us seeing each other would do." Rachel scrunched her nose up unsure what his agents worries had to do with anything but bit her lip before she said anything. "He's made some really valid points that I want you to consider. If we were to go out, instantly all the attention would be on you and finding out who you are and why you're with me. Suddenly any sort of privacy that we have as we get to know each other will be gone. I know that you're goal is to be in this world someday, but I don't want you thrown into the sharks because of me. Does that make sense?"

Rachel nodded taking a note out of his book and just letting it all sink in before she said anything. "So we shouldn't see each other? We don't even have a chance?" She asked finally as she slowly met his eyes and was shocked at how intently he had been watching her. He quickly shook his head.

"No, not exactly. I don't want that at all. There is nothing I want less than to not get to do this with you. I'm just saying that, this world. It's not going to make things easy and I don't want…" He paused. "I don't want anything to be public before we have a solid foundation. I don't want to go out there and show this beautiful woman off and have it all fall apart because of the pressure and the scrutiny. I certainly don't want to do it and having it negatively impact your life and your career."

His words made a lot of sense to her. So much that she was both confused and also enlightened by it all. Having no idea what it meant she just nodded. "So we don't go out? Do we just hide ourselves away in seclusion? I'm not sure how I feel about that." He then shook his head again before kissing her head, which made her smile.

"We just have to be smart and careful about it. We have to figure it out step by step but I'm confident that we can do this. That we can truly spend time with each other no matter where we are and what we do. It's just going to take a couple more steps to do so. Tonight is going to be perfect, I promise you that. I just need to know that you're willing to take the risks to be with me."

Rachel easily kissed him, feeling no need to think about his words. "Secret romances are always sexy in cheesy novels." She murmured as she moved closer to him and kissed him again until he was falling back in the bed and she moved to lay beside him with a happy smile. "You are all I want to be with, Blaine Anderson, this might be complicated and a little confusing but I'm willing to do everything I can to make this work. I want us to work, no matter what." She promised.

He laughed and laid his arm across her side as he nuzzled her nose with his. "I'm happy you're hear." Blaine whispered and she nodded and closed her eyes feeling so comfortable beside him. She expected weirdness between them but felt nothing but at ease in his arms.

"So am I." She promised. They may not be officially together or even have a clue as to how to be together but in the moment where she got to see him relaxed and happy, it made whatever was ahead of them worth it.

Note: That's it for this chapter! Up next, their date, meeting that annoying Jason and other special guests as Blaine prepares for the start of his tour. How did you all like the addition of texts? I'm considering doing them more in the future instead of focusing on telephone calls and thoughts and emotions during their times apart.


End file.
